Saint Mary's opens clinical trial unit

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Later this week, Saint Mary's Hospital will open a unit completely devoted to clinical trials. The eight-bed facility will eventually offer phase one trials on treatments or drugs not previously used on humans.  

"When people participate in research, they have to go at it with a mindset that this may not help me personally, but it may help the next person down the line that's facing this condition," said Brian Berryhill. Berryhill is a clinical pharmacist at Saint Mary's. He will also be in charge of the "investigational medicines" that the unit uses.  

He pointed out the new unit will be separate from the hospital, but will be conveniently close to necessary hospital services like the emergency and radiology departments.  
 
"It's also easily segregated from those the other hospital facilities, as well to kind of maintain its presence as the research space," said Berryhill.  
 
Volunteers who will eventually stay in the beds will test new treatments and drugs, mainly focusing on psychiatric diseases and cancer.

Berryhill said the volunteers for these studies will already have a form of the disease being studied. That's part of the reason why four of the eight beds are in their own separate module. Those units are more secure since some psychiatric patients may have to go off of current medications before beginning a clinical trial.  

"These are all features that are in place for patient safety while they're here," said Berryhill.  
 
Several other hospitals in the area, including Spectrum and Metro Health, already do clinical trials. But one of the biggest differences this unit will offer the area is that within a few months, some of the treatments will have never been tested on humans before.
 
"Sometimes at the phase one level, you may be dealing with a medicine that doesn't even have a finished dosage form yet, so it may be a powder, or something that you're having to weigh out to a specific dose," said Berryhill.  
 
The potential benefits are huge, but Saint Mary's is anticipating some bumps in the road.
 
"There are a number of challenges. One, for example, is people's mindset toward research. Nobody wants to be a guinea pig," said Berryhill.  
 
But researchers said that just having these trials in this area could help in developing medical services in West Michigan even further.
 
"Just knowing that in this community we're offering these kinds of things helps, I think, to elevate the kinds of physicians who want to come to this area who we want to be the providers of our healthcare," said Susan Hoppough, Saint Mary's director of research and innovation.

Saint Mary's representatives also told 24 Hour News 8 that the hospital has a history of serving a more diverse and underserved population.
 
They said they hope this unit will make it easier for more people to participate in a clinical trial without having to leave the area.